Exploring the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
The field of osteopathic medicine is experiencing remarkable growth, attracting students who desire a comprehensive and patient-centered approach to healthcare. This article provides an overview of the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) and the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP), including COMP-Northwest, highlighting their mission, curriculum, student experience, and admissions process.
California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM)
Located in the Central Valley, the California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) is a fully accredited institution committed to addressing the shortage of physicians in the region. Aligned with the University mission, the College of Osteopathic Medicine strives to recruit, train, and retain future physicians to improve the health outcomes for people in the Central Valley and beyond, especially the rural and underserved populations.
Innovative Curriculum
CHSU-COM's innovative program, facilitated by dedicated educators, is designed to train caring and competent physicians. The curriculum incorporates small group learning and the latest technology, such as holographic anatomy and handheld ultrasound. The Osteopathic Skills lab optimizes learning with a hands-on diagnosis and treatment modality to promote health and wellness; optimize recovery from musculoskeletal trauma, disease, and post-surgical conditions; and help prevent illness.
To ensure student success in clinical clerkship rotations, residencies, and eventual medical practice, some of the CHSU-COM curricular highlights include:
- Medical Spanish
- Nutrition and Culinary Medicine
- Holographic Anatomy and Interactive Simulated Learning Experiences
- Early Service-Learning Population Health Initiatives (embedded in health centers)
- Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP) Scholars program
- Collaborative Research Opportunities (with physicians, scientists, faculty, and other providers)
CHSU-COM utilizes a clinically-integrated two-pass systems-based curricular model, shown to improve knowledge, retention, and performance. This model integrates:
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- Problem solving skills for critical thinking
- Active learning techniques
- Early service learning experiences
- Dedicated COMLEX prep time
- Holographic Anatomy in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
- Osteopathic Principles and Practice
- Health Meets Food, based on Tulane University’s culinary medicine curriculum
- Medical Spanish (Required)
A primary teaching method during the first two years of the curriculum is Team-Based Learning (TBL), supplemented with:
- Clinical skills and practical lab sessions
- In-Patient hospital simulation
- Out-Patient standardized patient encounters
- Interprofessional collaboration
Campus Environment and Student Life
The CHSU-COM student experience is enriched by academic, career, residency, health, and wellness services and support. The three-story College of Osteopathic Medicine building incorporates innovative technology throughout and features large classrooms, an Osteopathic Skills lab, a library, plentiful private and collaborative study spaces that can be reserved, spacious student lounges, Teaching and Demonstration Kitchen, and a Simulation Center.
The Simulation Center includes leading-edge technology with an 7-bed inpatient area that resembles a hospital environment and a 12-room outpatient area that is like a clinic or doctor’s office. While CHSU-COM does not have on-campus housing, there are housing units available to rent, lease or purchase within a few miles of the campus.
CHSU-COM provides a nurturing and supportive environment to prepare students for the demands of a career in Osteopathic Medicine and strives to cultivate a welcoming campus environment of respect, belonging, excellence, and service. Supported by faculty, staff, alumni, and their peers, medical students can develop close relationships both on campus and within our community at large.
Medical education at CHSU is enriched by plentiful opportunities for community service, social, cultural, and recreational experiences. Student organizations on campus range from community-impact to medical specialty exploration, to shared interest groups. Medical students can also get involved in the Student Government Association to advocate for student colleagues with the faculty, administration, and outside agencies.
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CHSU-COM is committed to providing its students with access to a system of counseling and mental healthcare.
Research and Learning Opportunities
CHSU-COM trains future physicians to be lifelong learners and champions of evidence-based medicine through their engagement in research and scholarly activities. Research opportunities begin in year 1 and extend throughout years 2-3, incorporating a population health/community medicine project, leading to a final poster presentation or publication.
Clinical Rotations
The core clinical clerkships during years 3 and 4 are based at regional hospitals, clinics, and health care facilities with health care providers in the community. Third year Medical Students rotate through clerkships in the following areas:
- Family Medicine
- Internal Medicine (general and specialty)
- Surgery (general and specialty)
- Women's Health
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral Medicine
- Elective
The third-year curriculum also includes dedicated board prep time. The 4th year of medical school has ample opportunities for audition rotations, for students to showcase their abilities and prepare for the residency match.
Admissions
CHSU-COM seeks to admit those students who possess the academic, professional, and personal qualities necessary to become exemplary osteopathic physicians. CHSU-COM uses a rolling admissions process in which applications are reviewed and interview decisions are made at regular intervals during the admissions cycle.
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To be competitive within this process, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early in the cycle. The AACOMAS application and all other required materials, which include MCAT scores, official transcripts, and required letters of recommendation, must be received by the Office of Admissions on or before March 1, 2026.
There are two letters of recommendation required for admission to CHSU-COM:
- One academic letter written by a college science professor who has instructed the applicant. The letter should detail the applicant’s aptitude in a challenging academic setting.
- One additional letter. A letter of recommendation from a physician that details the applicant’s ability to be successful in a medical setting is preferred.
Qualified applicants will be invited to complete the Supplemental Application, which includes two essays, an evaluator identification verification, and payment of the Supplemental Application Fee. Upon completion of the Supplemental Application, selected candidates will be invited for an interview.
Taking a holistic approach to admissions, the Admissions Committee will review the entire application package and interview performance prior to making a recommendation to the Dean. The Dean will make the final admissions decision and the candidate will then be notified by the Admissions Office.
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a requirement. CHSU cannot guarantee licensure of DACA students by state licensing boards; the COM encourages all applicants with DACA status to communicate with the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, or the state where they plan to practice, to determine if they will be eligible to receive a license issued by that agency. Please also note that DACA students are not eligible for federal financial aid but may be eligible for private alternative loans. A supplemental Application is Required.
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP)
The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) is a private medical school for osteopathic medicine located in downtown Pomona, California. COMP was the founding program of Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU), which now has eight colleges in addition to COMP, each offering professional degrees in various fields of healthcare. COMP has a single four-year program, conferring the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. In 2011, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific opened a branch campus in Lebanon, Oregon called COMP-Northwest.
The Mission of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) is to prepare students to become technically competent, culturally sensitive, professional and compassionate physicians who are prepared for graduate medical education, who are lifelong learners and will serve society by providing comprehensive, patient-centered health care with the distinctive osteopathic philosophy.
History and Development
The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific first opened in 1977, and was the first osteopathic medical school to open in California after the merger between the California osteopathic medical board and the M.D. board in 1961, the California College of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons became an M.D. granting school (now the UC Irvine School of Medicine). In 1974, the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California voted to move forward on planning the development of a new osteopathic medical school in California. After acquiring a facility in Pomona and recruiting Philip Pumerantz from Chicago to serve as president, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific was founded in 1977. The first classes began in 1978, and the inaugural class of students graduated in 1982. That same year, in 1982, the American Osteopathic Association granted COMP full accreditation.
Graduates of COMP receive a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree and are referred to as osteopathic physicians. Osteopathic physicians, like M.D. physicians, are complete physicians and are licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery. Osteopathic physicians and M.D. physicians are very similar, but D.O. physicians receive additional training in the musculoskeletal system, and learn osteopathic manipulative medicine. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine describes the training of osteopathic physicians as "virtually indistinguishable" from that of M.D. physicians. D.O. physicians may choose to enter either a D.O. or an M.D. residency program.
Campus and Facilities
WesternU/COMP is housed in a 180,000 square foot Health Education Center (HEC). It features auditoriums, classrooms, breakout rooms, teaching and research laboratories, conference rooms, and faculty offices. The 75,000 square foot Patient Care Center (PCC) meets the needs of residents of the Pomona Valley and serves as a training facility for the university’s students.
Curriculum
The curriculum at COMP is a four-year, full-time academic program leading to the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). The curriculum stresses the interdependence of the biological, clinical, behavioral and social sciences. The first and second years of medical school at COMP focus on the basic sciences, and a systems-based approach to basic clinical sciences. Much of the curriculum at COMP is case-based, rather than lecture-based, especially during the second year.
The Summer Medical Sciences Preparatory Program is an optional course for students interested in an introduction to gross anatomy, biochemistry, and osteopathic manipulative medicine. The curriculum at COMP includes Interprofessional Education (IPE), a program that involves 9 colleges at WesternU.
The third and fourth years of training are clinically oriented, where students rotate through various specialties of medicine; the core rotations are internal medicine, family practice, surgery, OB/GYN, pediatrics, psychiatry, and osteopathic manipulative medicine, and they provide opportunities for students to develop clinical skills. WesternU has a Patient Care Center (PCC) that offer medical care, podiatric, dentistry, pharmacy, and optometric services in Pomona, on the main campus. The Pomona Patient Care Center opened in May 2010, and serves more than 10,000 patients per year. Students from the different colleges at WesternU learn and develop clinical skills at the Patient Care Centers.
Students at COMP may choose to complete a master's degree in addition to their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
Affiliations and Partnerships
The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific is affiliated with OPTI-West, an Osteopathic Post-Graduate Training Institute. Through OPTI-West the college works with hospitals to establish and maintain postdoctoral training programs. COMP is affiliated with various residency programs at hospitals such as Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Riverside Regional Medical Center, San Diego Sports/Medicine and Family Health Center, and St.
COMP-Northwest
In 2011, a satellite campus of COMP opened in Lebanon, Oregon; it is known as the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest (COMP-Northwest). The WesternU/COMP-Northwest building is a 54,000 square foot, state of the art educational facility. COMP-Northwest students complete their rotations at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Rouge Regional Medical Center in Medford, St.
The COMP-Northwest campus addresses the health care needs of residents throughout the Northwest. Additional Locations offer the same programs as the main campus.
Student Life
The Office of University Student Affairs serves the WesternU community through co-curricular activities, behavioral support services, student services and benefits, and academic events. Students from all WesternU programs are involved in the wide variety of clubs available on campus. The college also hosts an active chapter of Sigma Sigma Phi, a national Osteopathic Medicine Honors Fraternity that emphasizes community service and scholastic achievement.
Admissions
The College accepts applications from all qualified candidates. While grades and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores are important in selecting candidates for admission, the Admissions Committee recognizes that these statistics, by themselves, do not guarantee later success as an osteopathic physician. Therefore, the Admissions Committee employs a holistic approach in which non-academic criteria are also important in making the selection.
The College seeks a diverse and balanced student population and considers factors additional to academic performance, such as a well-rounded background, cognitive and experiential diversity, work experiences, letters of recommendation, interest in and knowledge of osteopathic medicine, and professional promise.
Notable Alumni
- Susan Melvin, D.O. class of 1984, is a professor of medicine (UCI and WesternU), family medicine residency director and Chief Medical Officer at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.
- James Lally, D.O. class of 1991, is the President, Chief Medical Officer, and director of medical education at Chino Valley Medical Center.
Key Differences and Similarities
While both CHSU-COM and COMP/COMP-Northwest share the common goal of training competent and compassionate osteopathic physicians, they have distinct characteristics. CHSU-COM, located in the Central Valley, focuses on addressing the physician shortage in that specific region. COMP, with its main campus in Pomona and a branch in Lebanon, Oregon, serves a broader geographic area in the Western United States.
Both institutions emphasize a patient-centered approach to healthcare and provide students with opportunities for early clinical experience. The curricula at both colleges are designed to integrate basic and clinical sciences, with a focus on developing problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
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